The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-03-23

with.
Here is what one correspondent of
the New York Tribune has to say on
the matter, and is, perhaps, as complete
presentation of the subject as we
have seen:
HOW TO GET RID OF HORNS
Horns naturally intended as a defence
against predaceous animals, are useless I'M
der domestcation, and are turned by the
cattle against each other, by the strong to
tyrannize over the weak; the owners, too,
often fall victims to the natural propensity
of the cattle to instinctively use their weap-
ons of defence. Hence it is as wise and
needful to remove them as it is to destroy
the natural ability to reproduce, which it is
our interest to control by the operation of
emasculation. Horns are an outgrowth
from the skull, and at first are soft, car
tlaginous substance, which proceeds from
the skin, not from the bone. Horn is com
posed of the same elementary substances as
skin and hair and under the microscope it
appears more like mass of hair solidified
than anything else. Thus at its first
growth horn is simply part of
the outer skin or epidermis, without SEN
sation, and can be removed from its
attachments to the dermis or sensitive and
vascular skin very easily and with very
little pain When the horn has grown about
half an inch, which is when the calf is six
weeks old, it can be removed with the least
trouble. 1t is then attached only to the
1 IL g..
from the skin by a cut made close around
the horn through the skin it may be lifted
clear out of its socket and leave no attach
ment to make any further growth. The
inconsiderable wound, not nearly so Sc
rious as the docking of a lambs tail,
soon heals under the protection of little
tar, and the trouble is over. This
little operation may prevent the fatal
goring of some person by the animal in
the future. What is gained besides? A
great saving of food, saving of flesh, saving
of money and peace and quiet among the
animals and to the owner. Each animal in
the herd gets its share of the food and the
food is not wasted in excessive muscular
exercise and worry. What objections are
urged against this operation? 1T spoils
the appearance of the animal, is cruel, is an
innovation" But breeding for beauty is
played out, and the beauty of a horn is a
matter of taste, a vicious taste, a relic of
barbarism, just as the Tartar cherishes his
jeweled dagger and glistening sword. 1t
is not cruel and innovations upon old
practices are now the rule and the world
moves by them.-A Liue-stockman.
If the operation were necessary or
desirable it would not, perhaps, be con-
demned on account of its cruelty-so
that may pass by simply saying we do not
believe it either necessary or desirable.
AS to their entirely peaceful and lamb
like disposition when bred without
horns, we always think of what an old
Frenchman said when looking at the
herd of Polled cows and heifers owned
| by Colonel Mead, who had them on
exhibition in yard at West Randolph.
He was looking over the fence at them
and admiring their fine qualities: " He
no hook; he got no horn" But just
then one of them dove at another very
fiercely and he went on and finish &c
/ his sentence But he hunt like hip
How shall we go to work to breed out
the bunt?
This beautiful theory might be further
carried out by breeding the spurs of
roosters, when, we suppose, they would
lose their pugnacious instincts, ant
might even appear with less offensive
self-assertion in Brother Atkins col
umns on occasions of political victories
when we are feeling bad enough with
out that.
But great saving of food is to b.
made also and each animal get its shar,
of food, and, as " the food is not waste'
in ercessiue muscular exercise" we sup
pose the animal has, with the loss o
horns, acquired the sense to know jus
what constitutes proper food ratiol
and Just how much exercise is neces
sary to proper digestion and growth
There are other directions in whicI
such theory might profitably be applied
we should think, and we would com
mend them to the attention of
Live -stockman."
There is profound wisdom-the re
suit of wide and long apprehension
bodied in the proverb, "The foo
braideth the mules tail; the wise ma
letteth out the job to the lowest bidder.
The man who will discover the pal
ticular joint on the mule (other tina
the head) which, bred off, will elm
mate from the mule the disposition
an undue use of his hind-legs, will be
; stow on the colored portion of GU
southern brethren such boon as wi
leave even the d" freedman's bureau
in hopeless oblivion.
AGAINST DEHoRNING.
am farmer, and seldom write to editor
but when read letters in paper like til
Rural, written by men who wish to obtai
, notoriety by boasting how they have to
| tured cattle by chopping and saving o
their horns, it is time for some one to speal
1t is thousands of years since God CAV
man dominion over the beasts of the fiel
and made animals for the good of m an, an